Tie-wraps, also known as cable-ties and harnessing devices, are typically molded plastic devices that have a strap and a head piece and are commonly used for securely wrapping a box or package, and also for holding together a bundle of objects, such as wires or cables, among other common wrapping applications. In most tie-wraps the strap has a rack or series of transverse teeth extending along the length of the strap. The head piece may include a strap receiving channel in the form of an opening that contains a pawl, in the form of a catch or a protrusion, which mates with and ratchets over the rack of teeth on the strap. The end of the strap is inserted through the opening to form a closed loop that can be pulled to tighten and reduce the diameter of the closed loop. As the strap tightens, the pawl locks into the teeth to prevent the strap from loosening. An example of such a cable tie, shown in FIG. 1, is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,199. Some tie-wraps use sharp metal pawls which engage the plastic strap even when the strap does not have teeth.
Tie-wraps serve different uses ranging from automobile construction to bundling wires, to almost anything else which might require a strap tied around it. The wide-spread use of cable ties attests to their reliability, convenience, and overall utility. Nevertheless, problems persist. For example, the length of a tie-wrap limits the ability to wrap an object the circumference of which is larger than the length of the tie-wrap. For this reason a user needs to carry batches of different length tie-wraps. And if even the longest available tie-wrap is not sufficient, the user must attach several tie-wraps together to form a longer tie-wrap for wrapping the object. In addition, the traditional tie-wraps are designed for one-time use, which waste a number of resources and negatively impact the environment.
Therefore, there is a need for a reusable tie-wrap that can be adjusted to any desirable length to wrap around any size object or to wrap an object more than once.